This is the second in a series of interviews with international experts on Korea to discuss pending issues surrounding the nation on the occasion of the beginning of 2018 _ ED.ASEAN urged to implement isolative measures against N. KoreaBy Kim Jae-kyoungSINGAPORE ― South Korean President Moon Jae-in should develop a differentiation strategy to compete with Japan and China in the ASEAN market for his New Southern Policy to succeed, according to a Singapore-based expert on ASEAN-Korea relations.He believes South Korea is not as big as Japan or China but the country has its own strategic strength over the two economic heavyweights and can play an important role in the integration of the regional bloc."South Korea might want to position itself as the helpful and benign alternative development partner versus the other two great Asian powers," said Liang Tuang Nah, a research fellow of the Military Studies Program at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies.The institute is a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.He pointed out most ASEAN member states are wary of being beholden to either Beijing or Tokyo, as both are ramping up efforts to strengthen their footholds in the 10-member economic bloc.From his perspective, South Korea can serve as a feasible and palatable rising power which can assist with technological guidance and economic support, while not seeking to unduly influence states that seek a mutually beneficial relationship with Seoul.Nah recommended Moon take a long-term, strategic approach to materialize his New Southern Policy and build more solid political and diplomatic relations with ASEAN nations.During his Indonesia visit in November, Moon unveiled the new policy aimed at deepening ties with Southeast Asia in a bid to reduce its reliance on China and secure future markets."The greater political and diplomatic presence exerted by Japan and China as compared to South Korea is expected and is due to a combination of greater critical mass and experience in international relations," Nah said.He said more ASEAN nations are increasingly uncomfortable with the growing influence of the two Asian giants and are looking for new partners to mitigate their political and economic clout.A case in point is Indonesia.He said South Korea has already made much headway in developing military, economic and political relations with Indonesia. "Frankly, greater progress in Korean-Indonesia relations comes with time as Indonesia realizes the importance of growing ties with South Korea to counterbalance the influence of either Japan or China.He thinks one way of investing in future relations is to offer bright and promising ASEAN youth Korean language training and scholarships to universities in South Korea. "When the latter reach positions of influence, they will then be in a position to promote ASEAN-Korean relations," he said.He also called on Seoul to set up more state-funded Korean language institutes in major ASEAN cities, facilitate more exchanges between small firms and circulate more publications in local languages explaining Moon's policies on key regional security issues.How to sustain hallyu crazeRegarding the popularity of the Korean wave or hallyu, Nah said ASEAN people see and feel a certain cultural affinity and commonality towards this facet of Korean culture. "Even as it is trendy and fashionable, regional youth find hallyu easier to accept than the cultural products of the West and Hollywood," he said.In order to keep the hallyu craze going in the region, he recommended South Korea focus on the youth and offer more chances to learn Korean."A possible suggestion to sustain the attractiveness of South Korean entertainment culture lies with teenagers and those below their mid-30s," he said."With the regional enthusiasm to learn Japanese during the 1980s and 90s, the learning of basic Korean sufficient to access South Korea's mass media should be made common and affordable." Nah, who also specializes in nuclear weapons politics and North Korean affairs, called for ASEAN member states to play a bigger role in reining in North Korea by curbing exchanges with the reclusive regime."I do feel that ASEAN countries have a moral and legal duty to fully and strictly enforce all UNSC resolutions against North Korea, and thus they should implement all economically and strategically isolative U.N. measures against North Korea," he said.He thinks some ASEAN states can be hesitant to cut ties with Pyongyang as they might seek to preserve economic or diplomatic contact with North Korea so they can take advantage of future commercial opportunities if the nuclear crisis is ever resolved."ASEAN states, which have close relations with the U.S., might have no choice but to economically and politically distance themselves from the North as America forces other states to make an exclusive choice between the benefits of dealing with the U.S. versus the perils of associating with North Korea," he said.